Commentary

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

God has called Abram to be a father of a great nation but Abram bluntly reminds
God that Abram is childless. The Lord take Abram outside at night and shows
him the stars and God promises that Abram’s children will as numerous as the
stars. Then God and Abram “cut a covenant” as indicated by the sacrifices, which
renewed the promise of Abram’s children and also outlined the boundary of his
children’s inheritance.

Genesis 15:1 in a vision – This encounter with the L ORD has its own unique set
of attributes that set it apart from day to day life.
Do not be afraid – This appearance, technically known as a theophany, be-
gins with words designed to calm.
your reward shall be very great – For a portion of this man’s family, they
are blessed. Hagar and her child would think otherwise.

Genesis 15:2 what will you give me – What advantage is it to follow this one over
all other gods if there is not a benefit in this day and age? In other words,
what if this god is powerless to keep His Word? More importantly, what
happens if this god is nothing more than a liar?

Genesis 15:3 You have given me no offspring – The assumed line of succession
must come from Sarah and not her slave.

Genesis 15:4 This man shall not be your heir – A line has been drawn in the
sand. Ishmael will not receive the lion’s share of the inheritance from his
father Abram.

Genesis 15:5 count the stars – To drive the point home, a part of the vision is
Abram looking up and attempting to enumerate the lights in the sky.
So shall your descendants be – The assumption here is that Abram’s chil-
dren will be impossible to count.

Genesis 15:6 the L ORD reckoned it to him as righteousness – Possibly a better

translation of “righteousness” that captures the Hebrew would be to capture
a sense of justice would be something like, “the L ORD thought it was fair.”

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 Genesis 15:7 I am the L ORD – There is an echo of the Name of the One who
Moses will meet later.

Genesis 15:8 how am I to know that I shall possess it? – This question answered
by the L ORD is not regarded as “testing.”

Genesis 15:9 Bring me – It appears that the vision of the L ORD has moved into
“reality” since the L ORD has now asked for three animals.

Genesis 15:10 He brought him all – Abram followed the L ORD’s command.

Genesis 15:11 And when birds of prey came – It takes some time for the L ORD
to arrive.

Genesis 15:12 a deep and terrifying darkness descended upon him – The se-
quence has changed from a vision, something that appears to be real, and
now we are back to what seems to be a dream sequence.

...

Genesis 15:17 a smoking fire-pot and a flaming torch passed – Sometime later,
these items appear.

Genesis 15:18 On that day the L ORD made a covenant with Abram – Some part,
possible all of this event is a legal binding document.

Psalm 27
The psalmist states that he is afraid of nothing because the Lord protects him. God
will trip up evildoer. The only request of the psalmist is to live in the Lord’s house
and to have the Lord protect him. The psalmist reminds God that he seeks God and
for God to remember this basic fact. Even if his parent leave him, he will never
abandon God. God provides instruction and God is once again asked for help.

Psalm 27:1 The L ORD is my light and my salvation – Two attributes given to
the L ORD are the ability to illuminate the reason for life and to help those
people in need.
whom shall I fear? – This rhetorical question reminds the audience that the
rest of creation has nothing which can stand up to the L ORD’s characteristics
of light and salvation.

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 The L ORD is the stronghold of my life – The rock that will not move is the
L ORD.
Psalm 27:2 When evildoers assail me – It is not a question of if evil will happen
but when.
they shall stumble and fall. – They cannot walk because they do not see the
way of light.
Psalm 27:3 Though an army encamp against me – The L ORD’s power is greater
than any assembly of men.
Psalm 27:4 to live in the house of the L ORD all the days of my life – The one
request spoken by the author is to be with the L ORD his entire life. On one
level, this is a request that the L ORD hold him faithful. On another level, the
psalmist would like to be in the Holy Temple of the L ORD in Jerusalem. He
can only dwell in the outer courts and never go in to the holy places since
he is not the high priest.
to behold the beauty of the L ORD – The superabundance of the L ORD is
seen in a place that appeals to humanity.
to inquire in his temple – There in the L ORD’s house, he will ask questions.
Psalm 27:5 For he will hide me in his shelter – The L ORD provides cover. The
tension that must be always raised is the reality of the people of God suf-
fering. One possible explanation is that the L ORD is impotent. He cannot
help those in need. Another answer is that the L ORD lied. He never had any
intention in assisting His people. A third response might indicate the neces-
sity of allowing people to suffer. A fourth way is to talk about our constant
misunderstanding of what it means to be saved by the L ORD.
Psalm 27:6 Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me – The
psalmist is not ashamed of his actions. He praises the L ORD in the face of
His enemies.
Psalm 27:7 Hear, O L ORD, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me!
– The mass (liturgy) of the Church remember this prayer and has sung it
through the ages.
Psalm 27:8 “Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!” – The paradox here is that
intellectually, the author knows he can never see the face of the L ORD and
live. Yet that is exactly what his thoughts drive him toward.

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 Psalm 27:9 Do not hide your face from me. – The author wants something that
Moses was not given, the ability to see the L ORD’s face.
Do not turn your servant away in anger – No matter what I have done, do
not take away your life giving help and never remove your wisdom from
me.

Psalm 27:10 If my father and mother forsake me – In a world of shame and

honor, having your family abandon you marked you as an untouchable. No
one would save the infants left in the elements. They died. The author prayer
is that the L ORD continues to help those society ignores.

Psalm 27:11 Teach me your way, O L ORD – Following this One requires an
understanding of the way of life. The request is for instruction.

Psalm 27:12 Do not give me up – No matter what the rest of the world believes,
the prayer is that the L ORD never recalls His life giving breath.

Psalm 27:13 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the L ORD in the land of
the living. – The gift of the L ORD is present in this age. See the discussion
on 25:5.

Psalm 27:14 Wait for the L ORD – The time of the L ORD’s arrival is not known.
Be patient. Engage in discussion. Be in His temple. Pray.

Philippians 3:17-4:1
Paul asks the congregation in Philipa to copy his lifestyle. Paul tells them that the
final destination is in heaven and that a transformation will take place. Follows
of Christ will be changed into a body that fits in with Christ’s body. He ends this
section with a call to stay with the Lord.

Philippians 3:17 Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those
who live according to the example you have in us. – This translation of
συμμιμηταί μου γίνεσθε ἀδελφοί καὶ σκοπεῖτε τοὺς οὕτω περιπατοῦντας
καθὼς ἔχετε τύπον ἡμᾶς by the NRSV misses the underlying theme found
in the Greek of being marked by the cross of Christ. Another possible way
to read this would be, “Come together in imitating me, brothers (and sisters)

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 and mark those who walk in the way since you have a scar [an example] in
us.”1

Philippians 3:18 For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ – Today, the
people of this world no longer hear the scandal of the cross. This reality is
part of the text in 3:18. Of course, it also means that people disregard the
cross and what Jesus accomplished there.

Philippians 3:19 Their end is destruction – Any way in this world without God
leads you down a path toward ultimate ruin. While the Church might preach
this, it no longer believes this in the Western world. Naves sit empty and
God’s work is left undone.

Philippians 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven – This assertion by Paul does not
mean that Christians give up on the earth since God commanded humanity
to take care of this world along with our neighbor.

Philippians 3:21 He will transform the body of our humiliation – It is easy to

read into this text a gnostic understanding of the flesh as evil that must be
destroyed. The tradition teaches the “resurrection of the body.”

Philippians 4:1 stand firm in the Lord in this way – Continue, Paul argues, in
keeping his example.

Luke 13:31-35
The author of Luke/Acts tells us that Jesus was warned by the Pharisees that Herod
was after Him. Jesus responds to the threat that He is working and gives a fore-
shadowing that prophets are only killed in Jerusalem. Next, comes the statement
that the prophets are killed in Jerusalem. Following this lament, Jesus uses the
image of a hen. Just like a hen gathers her chicks, Jesus wishes to do the same
to Jerusalem, but they don’t want His protection. Finally, Jesus predicts that they
will not see Him until they sing the phrase “Blessed is He who comes in the name
of the Lord.”

Luke 13:31 some Pharisees came and said – The Pharisees have constantly been
opposed to Jesus, so it appears that this text must be understood using this
1
The text in the parenthesis is not in the original but is implied in the use of brothers ἀδελφός.
The text in square braces is another translation of τύπος.

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 information.2 This also includes the times that Jesus eats with the Pharisees
since they turn into battlegrounds.3
Get away from here – It is difficult to understand what this text means.4
Do the Pharisees want Jesus to leave Galilee even faster and head out to
Jerusalem or does they do not want Him to go to Jerusalem at all?
Given the action of these characters in Luke/Acts, we must state that their
behavior is one that wishes to derail Jesus from His appointed path (Luke
11:53). Also, if we feel that the Pharisees are really helping Jesus rather than
hurting, then we say that our narrator is lying to us and cannot be trusted.
If Jesus follows their advice to leave, He will not meet His end in Jerusalem
nor will He fulfill the words of the prophets. Thus, accepting the “advice”
given by the Pharisees proves that Jeus is not the One sent from God.5
Herod wants to kill you – These words from the Pharisees contradict the
narrator’s information in Luke 9:9 that Herod wants to see Jesus.

Luke 13:32 He said to them – What is the function of this message? Does Jesus
expect the Pharisees to tell Herod what Jesus has to say? Or perhaps are
these words directed toward the Pharisees?
Go and tell that fox – Since we do not know the reliability of the messengers
that brings Jesus the message that Herod is after Him, we have even less
information on how to read this phrase. It appears to have something to do
with the fox’s cunning.6 Others have associated this with the image of the
hen that follows.
Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow
– This is part of the good news: bringing relief from the unnamed forces that
prevent us from living as humans and giving salvation from the brokenness
of this world.
the third day I finish my work – Readers who knew the story about Christ’s
death might see some foreshadowing in this phrase.
2
Luke Timothy Johnson; Daniel J. Harrington, S.J., editor, The Gospel of Luke, Volume 3,
Sacra Pagina, (The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1991), pp. 217, 221.
3
Ibid., p. 220.
4
Ibid., p. 218.
5
Ibid., p. 221.
6
Ibid., p. 218.

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Luke 13:33 I must be on my way – To be on the road means that one must con-
tinue down that path. Distractions by the government and religious only
cause problems. You might forget where you are going or they make take
you down a different way.

Luke 13:34 Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are
sent to it – This is a condemnation of the city and her people.7
hen gathers her brood under her wings – There are similar texts in Deuteron-
omy 32:11 and Psalms 91:4 that have illusions of birds and refuge.8 How-
ever, these are strong birds an eagle in the Deuteronomy text and while the
bird is not listed in the Psalm, it appears to be a strong bird of prey. The text
in II Esdras 1:28-30 is much closer to this line. It reads:

1:28 Thus says the Lord Almighty: Have I not entreated you as
a father entreats his sons or a mother her daughters or a nurse
her children, 1:29 so that you should be my people and I should
be your God, and that you should be my children and I should
be your father? 1:30 I gathered you as a hen gathers her chicks
under her wings. But now, what shall I do to you? I will cast you
out from my presence.

This verse from Luke can be read at least in two different ways. One the one
hand, it could literally mean that Jesus weeps for Jerusalem. The problem
with this approach is Jesus has not yet started His ministry in Jerusalem.
The second idea is that this is a prophetic statement. God is speaking of
what God wishes to do. However, many generations of men (and women)
have decided to leave God. And in doing so, they have left God’s protection.
The destruction of the temple can be seen in this light. The people left and
God let the Romans sack the temple.

Luke 13:35 your house is left to you – The meaning of this text is uncertain due
references to house and being left.9 It might mean that people have left God.
The phrase “house” could refer to the Temple, the city, or it could also mean
the faith tradition of Judaism and Christianity.
7
Johnson, Luke, p. 221.
8
Ibid., p. 219.
9
Ibid.

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 ’Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. This line will be
heard again in Luke 19:38. The reference is from Psalms 118:26, which con-
tains the line about the stone that the builder’s reject. This Psalm becomes
important for Christian apologists.10 Because it describes what happens to
Jesus. This same line is sung before the celebration of the Eucharist.

References
Johnson, Luke Timothy; Harrington, S.J., Daniel J., editor, The Gospel of Luke,
Volume 3, Sacra Pagina, (The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN: The
Liturgical Press, 1991).

10
Johnson, Luke, p. 219.